The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A building specification from mid-3rd century BC Philadelphia in the Fayum setting out how a contractor is to lay the mosaic floors of a bath-house. It describes the women's rotunda floor, with a black border, a spiral shell motif, another band and a central poppy, the rest filled with pebbles, and orders similar work in the vestibule by the men's rotunda.
The tholos is the circular bathing room of a Greek bath; 'six-choinix pebbles' apparently refers to a grade of pebble measured by the choinix, a dry measure. The 'nautical shell' (kochlos) is probably a spiral wave or shell pattern.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Specification for a mosaic floor). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
A specification for the mosaic floors in a Balanei'on. The design in the women's room was to be enclosed by a circular band of black; next to this came a winding sea-shell, then another suitable border, and in the middle an open poppy measuring two cubits in diameter.
[…]γραφικὸν ἄνθος πήχεος πάντοθεν· δοθήσεται δὲ τῶι ἐργολάβωι ει…α… […]ει δὲ ἐκ βασιλικοῦ παράδειγμα καθʼ ὃ δεῖ γενέσθαι · τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν πλάσει ἑξαχοινικῆι ψήφωι. τοῦ δὲ γυναικείου θόλου τὸ ἔδαφος ποιήσει θετὸν ἀπέχων ἀπὸ τῶν πυέλων πῆχυν ἕνα καὶ παλαιστῶν δύο καὶ περιθήσει ταινία…
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